Care of your Motorhome

The following points will be beneficial in reserving your motorhome or caravan.

Servicing

Motorhomes require base vehicle servicing according to the manufacturers recommendations.

Habitation or 'caravan' part of the motorhome also needs an annual inspection. Your motorhome handbook will explain details of this.

It is a condition of the warranty that servicing is carried out according to manufacturers recommendations. Failure to comply will invalidate you warranty.

Household cleaners should not be used on shower trays, washbasins, sinks etc, as they damage some plastics. Some manufacturers recommend that only lemon juice should be used for cleaning. If in doubt consult the manufacturer.

External doors and locker hinges should be lubricated regularly to prevent seizing.Never leave an awning out unattended. The weather can change to windy or wet conditions and the subsequent damage will be expensive to repair.

Do not overload your vehicle. Ensure both the max laden weight or the individual axle weights are not exceeded.

Load the vehicle carefully light objects in high lockers and heavy objects in low lockers.

It is the responsibility of the driven to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive.

Winter Precautions

Motorhome and caravan owners need to take special steps to protect their motorhome during cold weather.

It is imperative to drain the water system before frosts occur. Follow procedures as described in your handbook or contact our workshop for advice.

If the vehicle is not being used regularly ensure both the vehicle and leisure batteries are left in a full state of charge and then should be re-charged after every 4 weeks. If the vehicle has an alarm then the vehicle battery will need to be recharged every two weeks.

Switching off the alarm only prevents the siren sounding but the alarm system continues to use the same amount of current from the vehicle battery. Re-charging will normally take 48 hours with a typical domestic charger. If 230v hook-up is available it may be possible to select either battery for charging using the built in charger... Even when hook-up is used the motorhome will still benefit from the occasional trip.

If hook-up facilities are not available then it will be necessary to make regular journeys ideally for a minimum of 2 hours duration to ensure the batteries remain in a good state of charge.

A 230v fan heater on a time switch is an excellent way of keeping the interior 'aired'. Run for two hours morning and evening should be long enough to prevent condensation forming and subsequent damage occurring.

Regular visits should be made to inspect the motorhome or caravan to ensure everything is in order.

Anti-freeze content should be checked in the engine coolant. And of course all other precautions relating to the engine/chassis should be adhered to i.e. tyres inflated to the correct pressures. The vehicle handbook will give information relating to this.

Frost damage cannot be claimed under warranty.

Payload Information

The Habitation code issued by the N.C.C. contains guidelines on the calculation of motorhome payloads.

To calculate your payload allowance the mass in-running order must be deducted from the Maximum technical permissible laden mass or gross vehicle weight as stipulated by the chassis manufacturer.

The mass in running order = the ex-works weight plus an allowance of 75kgs for the driver plus 90% of the weight of a full tank of fuel.

From the resultant weight must be deducted the following:-

A nominated weight of 75kgs for each designated (an average of 68kgs plus 7kgs personal allowance).

An allowance for the personal effects calculated from the length of the vehicle and the number of the designated passengers. This is typically in the region of 90 to 100kgs. Please refer to the manufactures literature.

An allowance for essential habitation equipment to include 90% of water and gas capcity. This could be typically: gas 45kgs and water 100kgs. Please refer to the manufacturers literature.

Any extra over and above the standard specification must be allowed for: e.g. an awning can account for 30kgs, bike rack 60kgs etc.

Please see manufacturers literature to ascertain the payload of your vehicle.

Note 1. Motorhome manufacturers quoted figures are subject to tolerances to allow for fluctuations in materials etc.To obtain accurate figure for your vehicle it should be taken to a certified weight bridge.

Note 2. Vehicles manufacturers before 1994 generally do not have a declaration of the unladen mass and hence all relevant vehicles should be officially weighed to ensure you are not exceeding the maximum admissible weight.

Moran motorhomes recommend that motorhome owners should have their vehicle weighed in a loaded state at the outset and periodically thereafter to ensure it is not overloaded. Attention should be paid to the individual axle weight limits.

It is the driver's responsibility to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive.